Distributor mechanism



July 31, 1951 o. G. NELSON ETAL DISTRIBUTOR MECHANISM Filed May 2a, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS 0; a. NELSON F. H. PO 25m o. G. NELSQN EIAL DISTRIBUTOR MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 28, 1948 mm 9% m9 v9 INVENTORS O G. NELSON Rh! POE TZSCH QQ ON v shown).

Patented July 31, 1951 Md., assignors to Western Electric Company, j Incorporated, New York, N. Y. a corporation i of New York Application May 28, 1948, SerialNo. 29,883

This invention relates to distributor mechanisms, and more particularly to variable throw distributors for distributing tapes and the like on reels.

In some manufacturing operations, it is necessary to wind tapes upon reels from which the tapes are later unwound: If a tape is not wound in substantially level layers upon a reel, the tape :sometimes becomes snarled as it is unwound .from the reel. Usually automatic distributors areused to distribute tapes upon reels as ;the tapes are wound on the .reels. If a distributor having anon-variable throw is used, the tape frequently buckles slightlyat the flanges of the reel due .to the reversal of pitch and tends to .pile up at the flanges, which has an adverse action upon unwinding the tapeon the .reel in a subsequent operation In the.pas,t..no distributors have been known .which have quickly adjustable variable throw means so that the throwofthe distributor may be adjusted during winding operations to prevent piling up of tape near the flanges .or the reel. v

. .An object of the inventionis to providenew and improved distributor mechanism.

.A further object .of .the invention is to provide new and improved variable throw d tributors for distributing tape andthe like upon reels.

A distributor mechanism illustrating certain features of the invention may include a tape guide,'means for reciprocating the tape guide .relative to a reel, andmeansselectively.operablefor varying the throw. .of the tape guide at each end of its reciprocation. g

A complete understanding of the invention may be obtained from the following detailed description of a distributor mechanism forming a specific, embodiment thereof, when read in conjunction'with the appended drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary, top plan view of an apparatus including a distributor mechanism forming one embodiment of the invention, and

FigflZ is an enlarged, vertical section taken "along line 22 of Fig. l.

Referring now in detail tothe draw-ingsthere is shown therein an apparatus "for winding a tape 20 on a reel 22 from apacl of the tape (not This apparatus advances the tape 20 (Fig.1) from the supply pad'to a distributor 21 and thence to the driven reel 22, which draws the tape through the above-described apparatus. The reel 22 is driven by an electric motor 30 through transmission means including a chain 32 and an arbor 34 upon which the reel is mount- 2 Claims. (c1. 242-155) 86, into a tapped portion "16 or 'the sleeve. -62-isheld against longitudinal movement "relative to the connector 64 by a collar 18 fitting'into a groove The variable throw distributor- 21 includes a carriage 36 carrying a guide pulley 38 for guiding the-tapejil to the reel 22. The carriage 36 is providedwithi-a threaded bore 40 for engaging a distributor screw lzawhich is rotatably mounted in thrust bearings-e41 The distributor screw 42 is designed to move the carriage along the reel 22 in one direction when the distributor screw is rotated in one direction and to-move the carriage-in the opposite direction when the distributor screw is rotated in the other direction. The distributor screw 42- is fastened by a coupling 46 to a shaft! of a standard reverse gear 50." The reverse'gear is driventhrougha sprocket 52 hired to the arbor 34, a chain 54 and a sprocket *56'to drive the distributor screw 42 in synchronization with the reel 22 so "that turns of the tape 26 on the reel have uniform pitches. A shift rod 6!], which is splined to; prevent rotation thereof,

actuates, when moved downwardly, as viewed in Fig. 1, the reverse gear to drive the distributor screw in a direction such as to movethe carriage 36 upwardly. Then, when theshiitrod fifi is moved upwardly,- it actuates the'reverse' gear to reverse the direction of movement of- Hid screw 42 and the carriage so that the carriage is moved downwardly. The reverse gear is prov-ided with an overcenter latch so that it'remains in one condition until the shift rod-is actuated to reverse that condition. A throw sleeve '62 (Fig. 2) is splined to a connector "614, which is fixed to the actuator rod 6B by a threadedsha'nk "66 screwedinto a tapped boreBB in 'the'actu'ator rod and a lock nut 1 threaded portion'12 of a thrust rod M screwed in the rod 14 and a nut'f82sci'ewed onto a threaded end portion "84" ;of; the connector Hence, thrust on the rod, 14 through a'knob' llfi A thrust sleeve 88,. provided with knob fl'silpp ts the ight'hand end or the'thrust ro as viewed in Fig. 2. When the sleeve is moved to the right, the end of. the thrust s1eeve' 88 transmits'thrust from the sleeve .llll'to the rod 14 thereto is transmi ted othe a tuator od 3 threaded portion 98 of the thrust sleeve 88 is splined to a bushing I00. The bushing I is secured to an end support I02 enclosed in a guard housing I04, against rotation relative to the support by a lock nut I06. The guard housing I04 is provided with a transparent portion I08 (Fig. l) for observing the winding-operation. Q j

A fork III] of the carriage 36 straddling the thrust rod I4, when near the upper end of its travel, as viewed in Fig. 1, engages the lower end of the thrust sleeve 62. The fork when near the the upper end'of V a relative to the rod,-said sleeve being provided lower end of its travel engages the thrust sleeve 96.

Operationv t In the operation of the apparatus described hereinabove, when the carriage 36 approaches a the lower end of its travel, as viewed in Fig. 1, the fork I I0 engages the upper end of the thrust sleeve 96 and moves it downwardly therewith. This moves the thrust rod I4 and the actuator rod 60 downwardly. When the actuator rod 60 has moved downwardly to a predetermined position, the overcenter latch of the reverse gear 50 actuates the reverse gear to reverse the direction of rotation of the distributor screw 42. The carriage 36 then ismoved upwardly and the fork IIIJ engagesthe thrust sleeve 62 and moves the actuator rod 60 through the sleeve 62 to a position in which the overcenter latch reverses the reverse gear 50. p I

The lower point of reversal of direction of the carriage 36 may be adjusted by turning the knob 89, in one direction to lower the lower point of reversal and in the opposite direction to raise the lower point of reversal. The upper. point of reversal may be similarly adjusted upwardly by turning the knob 86 in one direction to raise this point or by turning the knob 89 in the opposite direction to lower this point. The threads xjably'to' the'actuator and held against longitudinal movement relative to the actuator, said of the threaded portion T2 of the thrust rod I4 and the tapped bore 16 in the thrust sleeve 62 have pitch and direction identical with those of the sleeve 88 and the sleeve 96. Hence, itthe knobs 86 and 89 are turned together in one direction both the upper and lower points of reversal of the carriage 36 are changed upwardly equal distances, and if theknobs are turned together in the opposite direction, the points of reversal are both moved in the same direction opposite to that of the other simultaneous adjustment thereof. Any of these adjustments may be made without interrupting the operation of the apparatusby efiecting the adjustment while the yoke III) is out of engagement with the sleeves 62 and 96. The adjustments may be observed through the transparent portion I08 of the guard housing I04, and since the knobs 86 and 89 are outside of the housing, the adjustments may be made without danger from the apparatus to an operator.

The points of reversal of the carriage may be accomplished prematurely by actuati'ng'the thrust rod I4 manually through the knob 86 whenever manually controlled distribution of the is highly adaptable; and is safe in its operation. What is claimed is: 1. In a reeling apparatus, which comprises a tape 20 on the reel 22 is sought. The above-"' described apparatus is simple in construction,

rod being provided with a threaded portion, a thrust sleeve threaded onto the rod and splined tothe actuator, a sleeve mounted rotatably on the rod and held against longitudinal movement mentionedthrust sleeve, a fork carried by the guide for engaging the thrust sleeves at opposite ends of 'the movement of the guide, said rod serving to vary the position of the first-mentioned thrust sleeve relative to the actuator when turned relative to the actuator, said adjusting sleeve serving to varythe position of the second thrust sleeve relative to the actuator when turned relative to the actuator, and a,housing serving to enclose all portions of the above-mentioned .elementsexcept one end of each of the adjusting sleeveand the rod.

2. A reeling apparatus, which comprises a reel, means for rotating the reel, a distributor screw mounted parallel to the longitudinal axis of the :reel,. a' tape guide movable by the distributor screw, means including a reverse gear for drivingthe distributor screw, an actuator for actuating the reverse gear, a rod secured rotatably to the actuator and heldagainst longitudinal movement relativeto the actuator, said rod being provided with a threaded portion, a thrust sleeve threaded onto the rod and splined to the actuator, :a sleeve mounted rotatably on the rod and held against longitudinal movement relative to the rod, said sleeve being provided with a threaded portion, a thrust sleeve threaded onto the threaded portion of the last-mentioned, sleeve, means for preventing rotationbofi the last-mentioned thrust sleeve, and afork carried by the guide for engaging thethrust sleeves at opposite ends of the movement of the guide, said rodserving to varythe position of the first-mentioned thrust sleeve relative to the actuatorwhen turned relative to the actuator and said adjusting sleeve serving to vary the position of the second thrust :sleeve'relative to the actuator when turned relative to the actuator. I OSCAR G. NELSON.

. PAUL H. POETZSCH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the --file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

